Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 77 Early to bed, not early to rise

After the grand opera on the first day of the winter month, Zhu Changluo immediately fell into a deep state of fatigue. That afternoon, he did not see anyone or do any work, but instead went to the Qianqing Palace to have a good sleep.

To be honest, Zhu Changluo actually liked the giant step-out bed in the Qianqing Palace, which could accommodate more than a dozen people at once. It was like a small room, with a door, a window, and even a dressing table. Once the small door was closed, he felt particularly safe.

The only drawback of this giant step-out bed is that it is made entirely of wood. If it catches fire from the inside, there will be no time to put out the fire, so people don't dare to put a brazier inside.

After waking up, Zhu Changluo felt refreshed. "Someone come!"

Wang An heard the emperor's call and hurriedly put the books he was holding on the table. He trotted to the door of the bed and said, "Master, I'm here."

"Put on your clothes." Zhu Changluo stretched and yawned.

"Yes." Wang An obeyed the order, turned his back, and walked straight to the large nanmu wardrobes against the wall. He had done this job many times before, so he didn't need to think at all and directly opened the outermost cabinet cover.

He lifted a piece of bright yellow satin and immediately saw the crown and dragon robe placed at the bottom.

The bright yellow dragon robe is often considered the standard attire of the imperial emperor. However, during the Ming Dynasty, the golden dragon robe was only worn during ceremonial occasions. Outside of ceremonial occasions, the emperor's casual attire was made of cyan or black fabric. In addition to the primary color, green piping and a dragon embroidered in gold thread were also essential.

Wang An buried himself in the bed and lifted the dragon robe and crown with both hands. He walked to the side of the bed and asked softly, "Master, may I come in?"

"You don't need to come in, I'll come out by myself." Zhu Changluo pulled open the small door of the bed and walked out.

Wang An quickly placed the dragon robe and crown on a stool, then picked up another stool and placed it next to Zhu Changluo. "Master, please sit down."

"Well, come on." Zhu Changluo nodded and sat on the chair.

Only then did Wang An pick up the boots from the entrance and help the emperor put them on. Once his boots were on, Wang An stood up and washed his hands at the basin. After drying them, he combed the emperor's hair. After tying the hair into a bun, he went to the basin designated for the emperor and wrung out a silk face towel. Wang An wanted to clean the emperor's face, but Zhu Changluo, as usual, beckoned him for the handkerchief.

This was Zhu Changluo's final act of stubbornness. After learning how to wear the dragon robe, he once donned it himself. That day, the eunuch who attended to his daily life was horrified to see the emperor donning the robe himself. He kowtowed repeatedly, begging the emperor to forgive his mistake. From then on, Zhu Changluo never again "interfered in the emperor's affairs."

After washing his face, Wang An went to find another, slightly smaller comb and dipped it in a little water in the golden basin. This was a comb specially used to comb the emperor's beard.

After completing all this, Wang An held up the dragon robe and walked to the emperor's side. Zhu Changluo understood. He stood up, straightened his back, spread his arms, and took two steps forward.

Wang An walked around behind the emperor. He first shook out the robe and slipped the sleeve of his right hand over the emperor's arm, then repeated the same action with the left. After putting the sleeves on, Wang An grasped the robe by the shoulders and gently draped it upwards, wrapping it snugly around the emperor. Then, Wang An walked around to the emperor's front and fastened the buttons and jade belt. With that, the robe was finally put on.

After doing all this, Wang An breathed a sigh of relief. He still remembered that when the emperor was still in hiding, he had ordered the execution of a eunuch who had been wearing clothes because a piece of clothing fell to the ground.

Although Wang An knew that the emperor would not punish him for such a small matter, it was always better to be cautious. The last step was to help the emperor put on the crown, but Zhu Changluo was almost half a head taller than Wang An, so Wang An could only plead, "Master, please sit down first."

"Oh." This process was so slow that Zhu Changluo was distracted. "What time is it now?" Zhu Changluo realized that unless he ordered it, it wouldn't be a senior eunuch who would be on duty at the Qianqing Palace. Wang An's arrival in the bedroom only meant that it was at least time for Teacher Sun's class.

"My lord, it is now five minutes past nine." Wang An picked up the crown and walked behind the stool to put it on the emperor.

"It's so late." Zhu Changluo muttered, then asked, "How much did you spend yesterday?"

"My lord, the total amount is about 100,000 taels of silver." Wang An picked up a long jade hairpin and slowly inserted it into the hole on the left side of the crown. Soon, the hairpin came out from the hole on the right side of the crown.

"So many?" Zhu Changluo raised his eyebrows.

"This is considered a small amount. Gunpowder, flags, horns, and golden armor are all ready-made, and the most we need is some materials and maintenance. The viewing platform and execution platform were built on the spot, but they didn't cost much. The bulk of the money comes from the reward," Wang An replied.

"Would you like to see the reward?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Yesterday was a happy occasion, so as usual, everyone who showed up received a reward. The servants of the Bell and Drum Department, the imperial guards lined up in rows, the officers of the Western Depot, and the imperial stable guards."

Wang An went to hold up a mirror. "Master, your eyes are like a dragon's torch, and your face is like the sun."

"Haha." Zhu Changluo took the mirror, looked at it briefly, and laughed a few times with satisfaction. This face is indeed much better than when he first came here.

After donning his fleece-lined cloak, Zhu Changluo headed straight for the main gate of the Qianqing Palace. As soon as he arrived, the gate was opened by the eunuch. After a day of heavy snow, the Nine Netherworlds were no longer as murky as they had been the day before.

Outside the door, a group of eunuchs were clearing the snow. When they saw the emperor coming out, they put down their work and knelt down to pay their respects to the monarch.

Zhu Changluo waved his hand. Wang An, the mouthpiece, then ordered, "Get up and get to work."

To increase his exercise and control his weight, Zhu Changluo, once he had regained some strength, rarely rode in a sedan chair. This led the various supervisors and admirals of the various departments to also start walking. They believed that there would always be an occasional encounter, and it would be embarrassing for the emperor to walk while they rode in a sedan chair.

"How are the accounts of the Western Factory going?" Zhu Changluo was only accompanied by Wang An and his two young godsons.

Wang An had many adopted sons. To be more precise, every high-ranking eunuch had many adopted sons. This was because of an unwritten rule within the palace: every junior eunuch entering the palace had to be placed under the patronage of a senior eunuch, known as a "name-follower." If a capable and competent eunuch caught the eye of a senior eunuch, the "name-follower" would become a "godson." If the godfather gained power, the godson's status would rise with him; if the godfather lost power, the dam would collapse and the fields would flood.

"My Lord, the date should be about the same," Wang An said cunningly. "But for the specific details, it would be better to summon Master Mi to inquire."

(End of this chapter)