Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 131 Turn over the brand

Forbidden City, South Study.

"Your servant Liu Heqing pays homage to the emperor, Long Live the Emperor." As soon as Fu Li left, Liu Heqing, the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, came to the Qianqing Palace to give the emperor the last planned medical treatment.

"No need to be so polite, Mr. Liu." Zhu Changluo waved to the old envoy, motioning him to come over.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Liu Heqing went through the motions and came to the emperor's side.

"Envoy Liu, who is your master?" Zhu Changluo handed his wrist to Liu Heqing.

"In reply to the emperor's question, I am a hereditary medical officer. When I was young, I studied medicine at the medical school outside Donghua Gate. My teacher is my father." Liu Heqing answered the emperor's question while placing the emperor's dragon arm on the cushion.

"Liu Fangzheng passed away in the 16th year of Wanli, but you took his place in the 21st year of Wanli, right?" Zhu Changluo asked.

This time, Liu Heqing didn't answer immediately. Instead, he listened to the patient's pulse before speaking. "In the tenth year of the Wanli reign, I followed my father to the Zhang Mansion in Nanxunfang to treat Zhang Taiyue. However, by then, Zhang Taiyue had already become ill from overwork and no medicine could cure him. Afterward, many disputes broke out within the court over Zhang Taiyue's affairs, and the Imperial Hospital was inevitably implicated. To avoid disaster, my father sent me to Qizhou to study medicine with the hermit of Binhu Mountain."

Liu Heqing sighed, then looked at the emperor in front of him with a complicated expression: "When my father passed away in the sixteenth year, I had already been with Binhu Shanren on my tenth revision of the book. At that time, I had originally planned to inherit my father's business after the funeral, but the controversy surrounding Zhang Taiyue subsided, and a new trend arose in the capital. So after my father's funeral, I returned to Qizhou. It wasn't until the twenty-first year of the Wanli reign, when Binhu Shanren passed away, that I returned to the Imperial Hospital and inherited my father's salary after a long period of confusion."

"Who is this hermit by the lake?" Zhu Changluo withdrew his arm. Liu Heqing also took out a pen and began to write a prescription.

"It was Li Shizhen, Imperial Physician Li. It was my father who recommended him to fill the vacancy at the Imperial Hospital in the 35th year of the Jiajing reign." Liu Heqing sighed again. "However, he only served as a medical officer at the Imperial Hospital for a year before returning home."

"So the book you are talking about is the Compendium of Materia Medica?" Zhu Changluo was very surprised.

"In addition to the Compendium of Materia Medica, there are also the Study of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Study of Pulse of the Lake Bianhu," Liu Heqing thought for a while and replied.

"Li Shizhen didn't want to stay in the Imperial Medical Service. As his student, why did you come back?" Zhu Changluo asked curiously.

"In ancient medical works, the number of categories is long and the names are mixed. Sometimes one thing is divided into two or three, or two things are mixed into one category. Many toxic drugs are believed to prolong life if taken for a long time, causing endless harm. Binhu Shanren became disheartened and left the Imperial Hospital because he had petitioned the court many times to reorganize the medical texts, but to no avail." As they had been talking, Liu Heqing could not guarantee that there were no mistakes, so he picked up the prescription and looked at it many times.

"When he passed away, his various works had been compiled into books. I think that if these medical works on living people were circulated in the countryside, they would inevitably be lost in the dust. But if his medical works could be recognized by the Imperial Medical Bureau, it would be much easier for them to spread throughout the world." Liu Heqing placed the prescription on the imperial desk.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy?" Zhu Changluo took the prescription and took a quick look at it. He found that they were all common tonics, and the dosage was very small.

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened." Liu Heqing's eyes suddenly changed. He looked less like a kind doctor and more like a cunning politician.

Zhu Changluo understood what Liu Heqing meant. As the head of the Imperial Hospital, he could force them to accept the new medical texts. But he didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, he said, "Your prescriptions are quite perfunctory."

"Your Majesty, this is a prescription for health preservation. It's not very strong, so you can take it or not." The old court attendant smiled, but the wrinkles on his cheeks revealed more fatigue. "Your Majesty has recovered, and I am relieved."

"Can I return to my previous life?" Zhu Changluo asked implicitly.

"Your Majesty, you'd better exercise some restraint." Liu Heqing's advice was equally subtle: "A steady stream of water will last a long time."

"Wang An." Zhu Changluo called.

"I'm here." Although Wang An had been sitting in his seat, his attention was always on the emperor and the imperial physician.

"Bring me two hundred taels of silver." Zhu Changluo waved his hand.

Liu Heqing knew that the emperor was going to reward him. He quickly stood up and knelt, saying, "I kowtow to thank the emperor for his grace."

Two hundred taels of silver was a lot for Liu Heqing, who was a fifth-rank official and didn't have much illegal income. But when he saw the two hundred taels Wang An brought over, his originally good mood suddenly turned sour.

It wasn't a plate of silver ingots weighing two hundred taels, but a piece of treasure note with "two hundred taels" written on it. The treasure notes issued by the government were always no different from waste paper.

Wang An handed the "two hundred taels" to Liu Heqing and said, "Liu Yuanshi, this is a bill for redemption. Take this money to the Neichengyunku. There's a bank next to the Chengyunku. You can redeem the bill for money at any time before the court is dismissed."

Exchange bills, money houses? Liu Heqing was suspicious.

"Thank you, Master Wang." Liu Heqing stood up and took the "two hundred taels" with both hands.

The moment the "two hundred taels" arrived, I felt the touch of hemp and silk on my fingertips. This thing wasn't made of paper!
"If you feel it's inappropriate to take two hundred taels of silver home, you can wait a while. Next year, around the beginning of spring, three similar money houses will open near Chaoyang Gate, Fucheng Gate, and Zhengyang Gate. You can go there to exchange it," Wang Anti warned. "However, this exchange bill is anonymous and has no code. In other words, anyone can withdraw the two hundred taels of silver. Don't lose it."

"Remittance date?" Liu Heqing looked at the words written horizontally on the redemption ticket.

"Read it backwards, it's Riyuehui. That's what the bank is called," Wang An corrected him. The characters were written horizontally from left to right, not vertically from top to bottom.

"You can also call it a bank," Zhu Changluo added.

Historically, the earliest book to refer to large financial institutions dealing with silver and money as banks was A New Treatise on Aids to Administration written by Hong Renxuan of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in 1895.

"Bank," Liu Heqing muttered, holding the bill and leaving. He was acutely aware that, regardless of the names of these three shops, the palace was preparing to compete with the banks for profits.

After Liu Heqing left, Wang An, the chief steward of the Forbidden City, asked with concern, "Master, which palace are you planning to visit today?"

Zhu Changluo pursed his lips. "Is there a brand?"

"Yes." Wang An nodded, then walked to a cabinet. He opened the drawer and found a wooden tray covered with red cloth.

Wang An carefully took out the wooden tray and brought it to the emperor. "Master, please." Wang An looked at the emperor nervously.

"It's true!" Zhu Changluo was a little surprised.

During the Ming Dynasty, the emperor followed the previous dynasty's practice of visiting his concubines, following the emperor's preferred palace system. This meant he would go to the concubine's palace at her discretion, rather than resorting to the Qing dynasty's practice of drawing a green lottery. However, after Emperor Taichang ascended the throne, and before his misfortune, he would have sex with at least two women a night, sometimes even as many as four. His addiction was immense.

In order to facilitate his selection among the numerous beauties, concubines, and talented women, and to satisfy his desire to find flowers in the fog, he specially ordered the production of wooden plaques with the names of the concubines. Whenever he felt sexually interested, he would pick a few and then call them all to the Qianqing Palace to sleep with them.

"Wow, that's quite a few!" Since the emperor hadn't explicitly said who was being snubbed, everyone with status or potential status was included. Among them were even the eight "birthday gifts" that Concubine Zheng had sent to the dragon bed on August 10th.

"." Wang An's face was full of helplessness.

"Pu Mei." Zhu Changluo picked one at random. "Why are you still holding the plate?"

"Only one?" Wang An was surprised.

"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

"One is good, one is good." Wang An quickly took out the sign and covered it with red cloth. "Master, are you going to the palace or..."

"Let's go to the palace." Zhu Changluo wanted to see what furnishings were in other palaces.

"I will ask someone to prepare it right away."

"Go." Zhu Changluo nodded.

Chuxiu Palace, one of the six western palaces of the Inner Court, was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign and originally named Shouchang Palace. It was renamed Chuxiu Palace in the 14th year of the Jiajing reign. It features a single-eaved hip roof, five bays wide, and a front porch. Brackets are arranged under the eaves, and the beams are decorated with elegant Su-style paintings. The doors are carved from nanmu wood, featuring a swastika-patterned base, five bats holding longevity, and a skirt panel with longevity and blessings. The windows are decorated with swastika-patterned longevity patterns and step-by-step brocade windows.

Currently, there are only two people living in Chuxiu Palace. To be more precise, there are only a pair of twins living there.

The sisters, Park Wuniu and Park Liuniu, were originally nameless, being known only as Park Wuniu and Park Liuniu. They were the only surviving daughters of farmer Park Shiyi. When they were twelve, a disaster struck their family's few acres of meager farmland, reducing their yields once again. To ensure their new brother survive and continue the family line, their father sold them both to a human laborer for the meager sum of twenty taels of silver.

The prostitute sold them to a government-run brothel for thirty taels of silver each, earning twice as much. There, the two sisters learned their trade for four years and also endured four years of beatings.

Prostitutes were supposed to be put up for auction at the age of fourteen, but due to long-term hunger and malnutrition, they looked even younger than the courtesans who were less than ten years old. So Park Shiyi successfully deceived the brothel and took two taels of silver. They successfully deceived the brothel and were put up for auction two years later.

In September of the 48th year of the Wanli reign (Korea recognized China as the legitimate ruler and generally adopted Chinese era names), two sixteen-year-old girls, already named Park Mi and Park Mi, were officially married as sisters. That same day, they were purchased by Prince Yeongyang, Lee Jong, for the exorbitant sum of two hundred taels of silver.

But Li Zong seemed not satisfied with just taking their virginity, so before they had sex, he added another 1,000 taels of silver and redeemed them. Pu Mi and Pu Mi understood that Li Zong was buying prostitutes.

Whether in suzerain or vassal states, the status of "ji" (concubines) was extremely low, even lower than that of concubines. They could be circulated and shared among suitable friends as gifts, a practice known as "transforming public prostitutes into private prostitutes." However, Li Jong did not use the sisters, but instead gave them away.

At first, Park Mi and Park Mi did not know where their destination was. It was not until they changed from a small boat to a large ship that they were told that their destination was Tianjin in the Ming Dynasty.

They didn't know where Tianjin was, but they knew exactly what the word "Da Ming" meant, because they had been learning calligraphy for four years, one of the skills they had learned.

In the 11th year of the reign of Emperor Zhengtong of Joseon, Emperor Yi Yu of Chungnyeong officially promulgated the "Hunminjeongeum," marking the official introduction of Hangul. Hangul's greatest strength lies in its ease of learning and understanding, making it a script accessible to ordinary Koreans. However, among scholars and the yangban nobility, knowing Hangul was considered a minor accomplishment. True scholars valued the ability to write the Ming script and spoke its language as a source of pride. Therefore, for high-ranking courtesans, who worked as entertainers, learning the Ming script was a must.

The two sisters heard the footsteps getting closer, so they waited in the yard early.

"Who is Pu Mei?" Wang An led a large group of people into Chuxiu Palace.

From the Jiajing period onwards, the Imperial Household Department became increasingly influential, interfering in everything that directly concerned the emperor.

"I am Park Park Miu." Although Park Miu was born a moment earlier, she is obviously shorter than Park Miu.

"The emperor will stay at your place tonight. Go and wash up." Wang An raised his eyebrows when he heard Park Mi's stuttering words with a thick Korean accent.

"The Emperor is coming?" Although the two sisters had been informed on their way from Tianjin to Beijing that they would be sent to the capital as tribute girls, Pu Mi did not expect to see the Emperor so soon.

"How could this be false?" Wang An waved his hand, and eunuchs and palace maids from the Huntang Division, Xixin Division, Shangqin Bureau, and Shangfu Bureau filed in and began to work in every corner of Chuxiu Palace. "Don't just stand there, little bastards."

When the emperor stayed overnight, all the items had to be replaced with new ones that complied with regulations.

"May I ask the eunuch's surname?" Pu Mei only then remembered to ask for the name.

"My last name is Wang, and I'm the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department." Wang An answered politely without being arrogant.

"Greetings, Eunuch Wang." Pu Mei had only been in the palace for a short time and didn't know how powerful the Imperial Household Department was. She thought Wang An was just an ordinary, kind old man.

"Um. What's your name?" Wang An waved at another girl.

"This is my sister, Pu Mei." Wang An's harmonious smile calmed Pu Mei down a bit. "She doesn't speak the Chinese language very well yet."

"Let her wash up too. Who knows, the emperor might come and feel like having sex with us." Wang An said.

Pu Yi blushed and nodded. She couldn't speak much, but she understood.

"Very good." Wang An saw that the two girls had good foundations, so he added: "You two were lucky to be found. Be smart and take the initiative. If you can serve the emperor well, maybe you can get his favor in the future without turning over the wooden sign."

"I understand." Park Mi took her sister's hand to greet.

Wang An nodded. Then he turned to the people around him and ordered, "Tell the Shangshenjian to quickly prepare the imperial meal and serve it as soon as the master arrives."

Unless there were special orders, the emperor would eat in the palace where he spent the night.

(End of this chapter)