Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 472 Fall
"This pair was a tribute from the Europeans last year," Zhu Changluo said, picking up another pair of glasses, the material and workmanship of which were not as exquisite, and still showing some signs of use, and handed them to Mi Mengshang. "They have a higher degree. Try them again."

"What's the prescription?" Mi Mengshang put down the previous pair and took the new one.

Zhu Changluo thought about it and decided he couldn't explain the concept of "diopter" clearly, so he didn't bother explaining it in detail. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Anyway, the higher the diopter, the harder it is to see clearly. Therefore, you need lenses with a higher diopter."

Since the Jiajing period, artisans have been involved in the palace's production of crystal mirrors. While these craftsmen may not have fully understood the underlying causes of nearsightedness and farsightedness, nor could they precisely determine the power of the lenses, they nonetheless relied on inherited experience and techniques to create lenses with varying degrees of power.

"Oh!" As soon as she opened her eyes, she could see even more clearly. With the tortoiseshell glasses she'd used earlier, Mi Mengshang could see the emperor clearly without squinting. Now, with the copper-rimmed glasses, she could even make out the clothes of everyone in the hall, even the expressions on their faces. It had been a while since Mi Mengshang had seen such clear vision. It was truly a pleasant surprise.

"Are you feeling dizzy?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"A little bit." Mi Mengshang blinked and squeezed out two more tears. "My eyes feel a little swollen too."

"Then try this pair." Zhu Changluo felt like the owner of an optician's shop. "The prescription of this pair of glasses is somewhere in between these two."

Mi Mengshang took the glasses and tried them on. They really fit her perfectly. "This is good. I can see clearly and I don't feel dizzy."

"Then take all of these." Zhu Changluo pulled out a pair of glasses with a higher prescription from the box and placed them in front of Mi Mengshang along with the second pair. "You're still young, your eyes haven't fully formed yet, and you have a lot of work to do every day. Maybe the prescription will have to go up. If it goes up, change it."

"Yes." Mi Mengshang responded sweetly, her eyes filled with emotion. "Your Majesty."

"What? You think it's ugly?" Zhu Changluo was a little disappointed. In his opinion, the style of these round-frame glasses was really ugly. When covering Mi Mengshang's eyes, they had no decorative effect at all. They were simply plastering the "windows of the soul".

Mi Mengshang wanted to apologize to the emperor, saying that she had misunderstood him, but the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back. The emperor was not only her "husband" but also her "lord". How could she say "doubt the lord is not upright" in front of the emperor? She put down her glasses, leaned forward, put her arm around the emperor's shoulders, and whispered in his ear: "Don't mind, the emperor is so good to me, I am very happy."

"You were crying just now. Why are you so happy now?" Women's hearts are as unpredictable as the sea. Zhu Changluo really couldn't understand or guess what these concubines were thinking about all day long.

Mi Mengshang didn't answer, but just hugged him and rubbed his face against his for a few times.

"It's incomprehensible." Zhu Changluo gave up guessing. He didn't need to bother. "Let go. There are so many people watching."

--------

"There's no need to see off Master Wang, please go back." After walking out of the Qianqing Gate, Mi Mengshang bowed lightly to Wang An.

"Just wait here, I'll escort the Queen out of the palace." Wang An had no intention of going back.

"Yes." Wang An's entourage stopped there.

Mi Mengshang smiled softly and walked around the sedan chair that brought her here. "Master Wang, do you have something to say to me?" Ever since Wang An offered to give her a ride, Mi Mengshang had vaguely guessed that he was going to speak to her.

"Let's walk a few steps first." Wang An waved his hand to send away the sedan bearers who were following him.

"You don't allow the sedan chair to follow me. Does Chief Wang want me to walk back to the West Factory?" Mi Mengshang said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. There are always cars waiting near the four palace gates." Wang An's back gradually straightened.

"Has Master Wang heard the rumor about the 'appearance of the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva'?" Mi Mengshang stopped smiling after hearing Wang An's words.

"I heard about it." Wang An's eyes became colder.

"But the emperor doesn't know yet, right?" Mi Mengshang asked.

"What do you think?" Wang An asked back.

"why?"

"Because the outer court officials haven't mentioned this matter in the memorial yet." Wang An replied indifferently.

"What I want to ask," Mi Mengshang's voice rose two notches unconsciously, "is why you hid it from the Emperor."

"Hehehe." Wang An suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Mi Mengshang frowned. Even though she couldn't see Wang An's expression, she knew there was sarcasm in his laughter.

"My Lady, you have really changed." Wang An still remembered Mi Mengshang kneeling before him and trembling. But now, Wang An could hear the undisguised questioning tone in Mi Mengshang's voice.

"People always change." Mi Mengshang's pupils shrank.

"Your Majesty, the way you look now reminds me of someone," said Wang An.

"Who?"

"The one who lives in the Cining Palace." Whether it was intentional or coincidental, when Wang An said this, the two of them had just passed through the Longzong Gate and were facing the Ciqing Palace courtyard.

"Are you talking about Consort Zheng?" Mi Mengshang couldn't help but clench her fists. Every time she passed by here, she would think of her own delicate origins, and from this she would have many terrible associations.

Mi Mengshang desperately wanted a guarantee from the emperor. A promise that he would never doubt her because of her past. Only then could she truly dispel her anxieties and walk out of Concubine Zheng's shadow with dignity. But she didn't dare ask, and she couldn't.

"Your Highness is very clear about this."

Mi Mengshang gritted her teeth. "That's hardly a compliment."

"I know," Wang An said bluntly. "But I didn't intend to praise you." Mi Mengshang turned her head sharply, a hint of anger brewing in her eyes. "Master Wang! If you have something to say, you might as well say it."

"Then I'll be frank. I kindly advise you not to harbor any inappropriate thoughts." Wang An spoke almost word by word, "The Imperial Seal is not something Zheng can hold, and neither can you. Even if the Emperor is momentarily captivated by your allure, the outer court will persuade him to return."

"I never thought so!" Mi Mengshang was really angry.

"Then what are you doing here in the Qianqing Palace right now?" Wang An wasn't exactly strong, but his slender frame was tall enough to look down on Mi Mengshang. "It's just a minor case involving the murder of three managers, two bookkeepers, and fifty or so servants. You could just sign and report it directly to the Imperial Household Department. Is it really necessary for you to make this trip in person?"

"I just..." Mi Mengshang was speechless for a moment. She had indeed brought this case here to conceal her true intention. "I just wanted to comfort you."

"No need," Wang An snorted. "When Empress Dowager Xiaoding passed away, it was the ladies from the Qing Palace who stayed by the Emperor's side to keep vigil over the Empress Dowager's body."

“.”Mi Mengshang was silent.

At this point, Wang An no longer cared about saving face. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You're just trying to take advantage of the situation and win the emperor's favor. And you're pretending to be so pitiful, but who are you crying for? What does the Jingren Palace incident have to do with you? How many times have you seen Concubine An? Concubine Kang and Empress Li are even more frequent visitors than you."

"I'm not" Mi Mengshang couldn't explain, she just felt ashamed and angry. "I really just"

"You're still asking why I didn't tell the Emperor," a passing eunuch saw Wang An and was about to greet him, but was scared off by his gaze. "You came here for this matter, why didn't you tell me? Isn't it because you don't want to get into trouble?"

Mi Mengshang's mouth drooped, and she wanted to cry again. "If you hate me so much, why did you send me to the dragon bed in the first place? Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. I've always remembered your kindness, why do you miss me so much!"

Wang An was old after all, and his heart softened as he turned his head away. "At first, I saw a pitiful but brave child. But now, you are no longer a good child."

"I didn't do anything bad, did I?" Mi Mengshang felt aggrieved.

"Three managers, two accountants, five lives. You're using them as cover." Wang An sighed. "You're no different from the rest of us who do the dirty work."

--------

After lunch, Shen Yourong, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Shandong's Coastal Defense, along with Yuan Jin, Li Zhong, and a group of personal entourage led by Cai Sance, entered Beijing through Yongding Gate. Shen Yourong didn't delay, finding an inn to change into his third-rank military officer uniform and leave his horse and the rest of his men. Then, he led Yuan Jin and Li Zhong straight to the Ministry of War.

As the Ministry of War Yamen drew closer, Yuan Jin and Li Zhong, already timid, began to tremble. Their pace also gradually slowed down.

Shen Yourong noticed the two's hesitation from the corner of his eye. He turned his head and urged them, "Let's go. There are only a few steps left."

"Master Shen, does the court really still recognize you?" Yuan Jin didn't move faster in response to the urging. Instead, he stopped dead in his tracks. His expression looked as if he were being escorted to the execution ground by Shen Yourong.

"Tsk!" Shen Yourong rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you talking so much nonsense? You're wearing an official uniform, not a piece of dog skin! I still say the same thing. If we really want to punish you, it won't be the Ministry of War sending a letter, but the Ministry of Justice."

"Yes, yes!" Yuan Jin smiled awkwardly, but Li Zhong still asked stubbornly, "Master Shen, where is the Ministry of Justice?"

"In your old age..." After spending so much time with this group of people, Shen Yourong almost forgot that he was a Confucian general. "Forget it, I'm too lazy to scold you. Just walk another ten miles. If you want to go, I'll take you there!"

"Not yet." Li Zhong immediately retracted his head.

"Why are you being so timid?" Shen Yourong glared at them again. "Behave yourself! Don't embarrass me!"

"Yes!" Yuan Jin and Li Zhong held their heads high and chests puffed out, but they collapsed again after taking a few steps.

After passing the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Personnel standing opposite each other, the Ministry of War is in front.

Shen Yourong stopped, turned around and instructed, "After entering the government office, no matter what the officer asks you, you two must only speak according to what I teach you. Don't say anything else. If you feel dizzy and can't remember, just say that you have completely changed your ways, have no evil intentions at all, and are only loyal and courageous to serve your country. If you feel so dizzy that you can't even say this, then kneel on the ground, kowtow to the north, and shout 'Long live the country!'"

"Yes," Yuan Jin and Li Zhong nodded tremblingly.

"Let's go!" Shen Yourong stopped talking nonsense. He was not in a hurry. Even if these two idiots messed up their report in the court, as long as they didn't say some treasonous and disrespectful words on the spot, Shen Yourong would have a way to make things right.

Because Shen Yourong was wearing the uniform of a third-rank military officer, the military guards on duty at the gate didn't even think of stopping Shen Yourong for questioning and directly let the three of them in.

Crossing the threshold, Shen Yourong entered the main hall. At that moment, Cui Jingrong, a soldier, was still in the Wenhua Hall, reviewing the papers with the examiners, occasionally chatting about harmless things. Seated in the hall was Zhang Jingshi, the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Zhang Jingshi, courtesy name Weicai, was a native of Weinan County, Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province. He passed the imperial examination in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign and the imperial examination in the 23rd year of the Wanli reign. He was born in the same year as Liu Yirong, Han Yu, He Zongyan, Yuan Yingtai, Li Changgeng and others. Zhang Jingshi's previous job was as the Right Assistant Censor of the Censorate and the Governor of Xuanfu, assisting in military affairs. He served in this position for just over a year. In the 48th month of the Wanli reign, Zhang Jingshi was promoted to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, one of the first officials appointed to the ministry by the new emperor. Before taking charge of the ministry, Zhang Jingshi's last job was to supervise the supply of gunpowder to Liaoyang to fill the huge gap caused by the explosion of the Liaoyang gunpowder depot.

Before Shen Yourong came close, Zhang Jingshi raised his head and saw that the person coming was a third-rank military officer, so he took the initiative to stand up and greet him.

The promotion, transfer, demotion, and dismissal of high-ranking officials all had to be reported to the imperial court. Therefore, as soon as Shen Yourong saw Zhang Jingshi's seat, he guessed his identity. However, Shen Yourong still politely saluted and asked for his name. "I am Shen Yourong, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Shandong's Coastal Defense. May I ask your name, Junior Commander-in-Chief?"

"We are Yuan Jin and Li Zhong, paying our respects to the Young Sima!" Yuan Jin and Li Zhong knelt down immediately.

Zhang Jingshi was visibly stunned. Although he had never met Shen Yourong in person, he had heard of him and knew his official position. "Deputy General Shen, you are too polite. I am Zhang Jingshi." Zhang Jingshi first responded to Shen Yourong's greeting, then gestured to Yuan Jin and Li Zhong. "Please stand up, both of you."

"It turns out to be Mr. Zhang Sima! I've heard a lot about you!" Shen Yourong bowed again.

Zhang Jingshi returned the greeting and asked, "Shouldn't Lieutenant General Shen be stationed in Dengzhou, Shandong? Why is he here at the Ministry of War?"

Shen Yourong was also stunned. He had not expected Zhang Jingshi to react like this. Logically, as a senior official in the Ministry of War, Zhang Jingshi should have known that Cui Jingrong had summoned him to Beijing to report on his duties, even if he hadn't signed the official letter. But now it seemed that Zhang Jingshi was not joking at all, and was completely unaware!

(End of this chapter)