Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 37 The Emperor's Painting Skills
Yangxin Hall, West Warm Pavilion.

After the ambergris in the gilded incense burner had burned three inches,

Emperor Wanli's eyes fell on the words in the memorial.

"Recently, an epidemic has swept through the capital and surrounding counties. Patients initially experience splitting headaches, followed by swelling of the head and face. The streets are filled with the sounds of weeping, and coffins are in short supply; the horrific scene is truly appalling."

The emperor then looked at the draft proposal from the cabinet, and immediately recognized the handwriting as that of Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng.

"The devastating situation of the plague reported is appalling. I propose that the Imperial Medical Academy's Huimin Pharmacy, which oversees the distribution of medical personnel from various regions, should allocate all expenses for purchasing medicinal materials, with the Ministry of Revenue covering the costs."

Emperor Wanli stared at the draft bill for a long time, thinking of giving some advice, but in the end he sighed. His mind was blank, and he couldn't think of any plan. The ones he could come up with were not as perfect as Zhang Juzheng's.

Even though this happened before, it still left him feeling somewhat frustrated.

He simply tossed the vermilion brush aside, rubbed his sore eyes, and shouted outside.

"Zhang Banban! Zhang Banban!"

"Your Majesty! I'm here!" Zhang Cheng hurriedly ran in from outside.

Emperor Wanli tapped his knuckles on his desk and said, "Hurry up! I've almost finished reviewing the memorials. Bring me today's latest Wanli Newspaper."

“But…” Zhang Cheng looked hesitantly at the stack of memorials on his desk, which was still thick and had not yet been reviewed.

But recalling the recent turmoil in the court, he immediately stopped talking and nodded.

"I will go and get it for Your Majesty right away."

Zhang Cheng went out and soon returned with a brand-new copy of the Wanli Xinbao, which he respectfully placed on the desk.

Upon seeing the Wanli Xinbao, the emperor's eyes lit up, and he forgot all about the plague.

The Wanli Emperor said, "You may leave now and do not disturb me while I am reading the newspaper."

After a while, seeing that Zhang Cheng still hadn't gone down, he frowned and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Zhang Cheng then reported, "Your Majesty, didn't you send someone to summon Zhang Shiyuan to the palace this morning? He has already arrived outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Shall we summon him in?"

"Zhang Shiyuan has arrived?" Emperor Wanli's joy was palpable, and he quickly waved his hand and said. "Quickly, let him in to speak."

After Zhang Cheng left to receive his orders, Emperor Wanli finally regained his composure and looked at the newspaper in his hand.

As usual, he flipped to the back of the page, intending to first look at the jokes and storybooks section.

"Still reminiscing about the severed finger~"

The Wanli Emperor sighed with some disappointment. He had read both "The Severed Finger Case" and "The Phoenix Seal Case," but the daily serialized content in the newspapers was limited, and even after three issues, they hadn't caught up with what the emperor had read.

However, the number of storybooks available in that era was limited. Most storybook lovers read books like "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin" more than ten times.

Emperor Wanli would naturally not mind watching it again.

But as he looked at it, he frowned.

It's not that there's a problem with the content of the storybooks, but rather that this issue of the newspaper added many "full-length images" to the storybook section.

Last time, Emperor Wanli saw these "complete" illustrations in a storybook, but who would have thought that Zhang Yunxiu would actually copy them into the newspaper exactly as they appeared.

"No, no!" Emperor Wanli shook his head repeatedly. "Zhang Shiyuan's painting skills are too poor. If tens of thousands of people see such a painting, wouldn't it make us a laughing stock?"

Just as he was struggling with his decision, Zhang Yunxiu entered the main hall and stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Your subject Zhang Yunxiu pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"No gifts, no gifts!"

Upon seeing Zhang Yunxiu, the Wanli Emperor greeted him as if he were seeing a playmate's child, immediately stepping out from his desk to greet him.

"Quickly, quickly!" Before Zhang Yunxiu could get up, the Wanli Emperor pulled him up and led him to the desk. "I have something to show you."

Zhang Cheng, who was standing to the side, was speechless at the sight, but he still obediently left, pretending not to have seen anything.

After Zhang Cheng left, Emperor Wanli suddenly lost his imperial demeanor and patted Zhang Yunxiu on the shoulder.

Mentioning the events of the past few days in court
"You, Zhang Yunxiu! You certainly didn't disappoint me! Do you know the expressions on the faces of those ministers after you left? You really helped me vent my anger this time!"

Zhang Yunxiu is a man who seems unreliable and often comes up with outlandish ideas.

He often acted rudely towards the emperor.

Yet the Wanli Emperor still found him incredibly kind and amiable, far more so than the officials in the court or the obsequious eunuchs.

This certainly involves childhood friendships.

But there is another layer of emotion to complement it.

In the past, Emperor Wanli was always cautious and timid, afraid that he might do something wrong and be criticized by his ministers and Grand Secretary Zhang.

He feared being called a tyrant. But the Wanli Emperor was, after all, human; he felt indignation, resentment, and even possessed a childlike nature.

This emotion, however, was suppressed for more than a decade under the traditional Confucian education.

It was this kind of resentment that was thoroughly expressed by Zhang Yunxiu, an unknown young man.

He defied Zhang Juzheng, berated his ministers, and assaulted officials who dared to speak out!
These are things that Emperor Wanli dreamed of doing but never dared to do.

In the court meeting a few days ago, Zhang Yunxiu, his playmate, did one thing after another.

Although he didn't personally take the stage, seeing the expressions on the faces of his ministers, as if they were eating flies, made Emperor Wanli feel incredibly pleased.

In particular, after that day, the Wanli Emperor was no longer subject to so much control over his actions in the palace.

Even the upright Confucian scholars were afraid. Not only did they fail to gain fame, but they also "remained infamous for eternity." Wei Yunzhen, who was dismissed from his post and became paralyzed on one side, served as a cautionary tale for them.

After this, Emperor Wanli should calm down for a while.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said, "Your Majesty played a role, but it was also thanks to His Majesty's timely judgment in summoning me to the court that I had the opportunity to demonstrate my abilities."

"Don't take credit for it." Although he said this, Emperor Wanli still seemed very happy.

He then said with some guilt, "It's a pity that there's been such a public outcry lately, otherwise I would have certainly given you a position as a Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or a Vice Director of the Imperial Seal Office."

In the eyes of the Wanli Emperor, Zhang Yunxiu had become one of his own, and naturally, he would treat his own people better.

Emperor Wanli also discussed with Zhang Juzheng that Zhang Yunxiu should not only be admitted to the Imperial Academy, but also be given a nominal position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which can be regarded as a favor from the emperor.

Unfortunately, Zhang Juzheng still refused.

When Emperor Wanli wanted to bestow the title of Marquis upon Li Wei, the father of Empress Dowager Li and the emperor's maternal grandfather, he was similarly "advised against" by Zhang Juzheng.

Therefore, Emperor Wanli had no other choice.

Zhang Yunxiu, unaware that he had been tricked by his father, appeared quite magnanimous: "Your Majesty need not worry. Being able to enter the Imperial Academy is already a great honor for me."

In reality, Zhang Yunxiu did not want to show his talent too early. He wanted to stand out, but only in front of the emperor.

The political turmoil at court has already offended many upright officials, so it's best to keep a low profile for now.

Emperor Wanli, with his hands behind his back, sighed and said, "If all the ministers under heaven had a heart as magnanimous as yours, I would have nothing to worry about."

In the eyes of the Wanli Emperor, Zhang Yunxiu was a bit unreliable, but he was ultimately an honest man!

The ministers in the court claimed to be loyal to the emperor and love their country, but in reality, they were all plotting against him and trying to gain benefits from him.

During the conversation, he couldn't help but pull out the copy of the "Wanli Xinbao" newspaper and point to the illustrations on it.

"Your newspaper is quite good, but unfortunately the illustrations are really hard to compliment."

Zhang Yunxiu sensed the emotion in the emperor's words and immediately feigned emotion as he spoke.

"It's not that I'm unwilling to find a painter, but the painters in the folk are all mediocre. So I had no choice but to take on the task myself. My painting skills are truly..."

These words struck a chord with the emperor, who immediately patted his chest and said...

"I knew you had this problem. Come, come, look at the full portrait I have drawn for you."

As he spoke, he pulled out a few sheets of white paper from under his desk, spread them out, and looked at Zhang Yunxiu with eyes full of expectation.

Zhang Yunxiu took a closer look and couldn't help but be somewhat surprised.

Historically, Emperor Wanli was very enthusiastic about calligraphy and painting, but unfortunately Zhang Juzheng and the Hanlin scholars disapproved of his obsession with calligraphy and painting.

Later, Zhang Juzheng even submitted a memorial to the emperor, advising him: "I have observed that Your Majesty has recently been paying close attention to calligraphy and painting, and avoiding all frivolous and useless pursuits."

From then on, the emperor's calligraphy and all his other courses were cut.

Adhering to the principle that "the more the prime minister forbids me from doing something, the more I will do it," Emperor Wanli secretly picked up calligraphy and painting again in recent years.

Of course, he didn't dare to be as unscrupulous as Zhang Yunxiu. Saying he picked it up was just a matter of secretly practicing in private.

Emperor Wanli was merely mediocre in his handling of state affairs and also exhibited some escapist personality traits.

He is indeed exceptionally gifted when it comes to painting.

Simply out of personal interest, he vividly depicted the Di Renjie illustration.

The figure above is dressed in official robes, with an upright posture and the hem of the robe fluttering in the wind, as if he has an aura of composure and majesty.

However, Zhang Yunxiu looked at it from left to right and felt that this painting technique did not seem to be the style that should exist in the Ming Dynasty.

It's more like a comic book?

　Note 1: Zhang Juzheng's advice to the emperor comes from Volume 108 of the Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong of Ming: "I have observed that Your Majesty has recently been paying attention to calligraphy and painting, and has completely given up all frivolous and useless pursuits... Although calligraphy and painting are minor skills and not related to the virtue and governance of the ruler, they can be used to regulate one's temperament and calm one's mind during leisure time. Compared with rare and precious objects, they are far superior and may well be an aid to cultivating virtue and nourishing the mind."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)