Top Scholar

Chapter 419 Emperor Zhengde
On the 28th day of the 11th lunar month, the weather was perfect; the snow cleared and the sky was bright.

The Forbidden City's vermilion walls were covered in snow, a silver-clad sight. When the sunlight shone on it, it resembled a magnificent palace, exceptionally beautiful.

Renshou Palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the palace staff were in high spirits, celebrating Empress Dowager Zhang's birthday in a grand manner!
Various colorful lanterns hang high under the eaves, illuminating the vermilion beams and pillars with a dazzling glow. Inside the hall, fine silver-boned charcoal burns in warm braziers, its fragrant aroma mingling with the sweet scent of peaches and pastries, permeating every corner of the hall.

The current Empress Xia personally led the female members of the imperial family and the wives of officials in the palace, lining up according to their ranks to offer birthday wishes to the Empress Dowager. The dazzling array of pearls, jade, silk, and brocade was breathtaking, and the trailing skirts rustled on the ground, creating a scene of magnificent splendor.

Empress Dowager Zhang, the first "brother-supporting demon" of the Ming Dynasty, sat gracefully on her throne, wearing a dazzling nine-dragon and nine-phoenix crown and a bright yellow brocade robe, receiving birthday wishes from one group of members of the imperial family and noblewomen after another.

Inside the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, cries of birthday wishes rose and fell, lingering for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I wish you a long and blessed life!"

"Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you a long and healthy life, and that your virtue will extend to all corners of the world..."

~~
Princess Yibin wore a pearl and jade five-phoenix crown, a bright red silk robe, a dark blue silk gold-embroidered phoenix jacket, a blue silk gold-embroidered phoenix shawl, a jade belt around her waist, and a skirt that trailed on the ground. She was noble yet youthful and radiant.

She followed Princess Renhe in the birthday celebration, and her position was quite close to the front. Fortunately, all the etiquette had been rehearsed repeatedly, so she only needed to follow the script.

When it was time for her birthday celebration, the young princess stepped forward and curtsied. The warbling of orioles in the woods was melodious and clear.
"Your subject, Princess Zhu Dan of Yibin, has traveled from Chengdu to the capital on the orders of my mother, Consort Peng, and my brother, Prince Bin Han of Shu, to offer my congratulations on the Empress Dowager's birthday. May the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless longevity, abundant blessings, and an eternally kind countenance!"

After saying that, he presented the gift list.

Hearing that she was a member of the imperial family who had come all the way from Sichuan to offer birthday wishes, and that she was so young and extremely beautiful, the Empress Dowager was very pleased and said with a smile, "Sichuan is over a thousand miles away from here, isn't it?"

"Your Majesty, the journey was nearly four thousand li," the young princess said with a smile and a bow.

"Oh my, so far? That's quite a journey, your kindness is truly overflowing." The Empress Dowager and her maternal relative, Lady Jin, exclaimed in amazement.

The Empress Dowager felt she should show the kindness of a family elder, so she asked with a smile, "What is your generation? How should I address you?"

"Your Majesty, my elder brother belongs to the 'Bin' generation, and is a sixth-generation descendant of the founding emperor..." the little princess whispered.

"Uh..." Empress Dowager Zhang's smile froze for a moment, because Emperor Xiaozong was the seventh-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu.

She couldn't help but curse herself for being so talkative, but since she had asked, she had to follow the rules of the imperial clan and address her as "Imperial Aunt".

"Your Majesty, I dare not accept such praise." The young princess quickly bowed and said, "The Empress Dowager is the grandmother of all people."

"Please rise, Your Majesty." Empress Dowager Zhang felt a little better, but she couldn't change her address, so she smiled and said, "The seniority is there, and we can't mess it up. Besides, I still feel young."

After saying that, he offered a seat to the young princess.

The palace maids quickly brought over a brocade stool and placed it to the right of the throne.

The young princess thanked the emperor and took her seat. As she smoothed her robe sleeves, her fingers touched a scroll, which was none other than the "The Difficulty of Finding Beauty in Calligraphy".

After much deliberation, she decided not to include the invitation in the gift list, but instead carried it with her into the palace. She intended to play it by ear, waiting for the right opportunity. What if a suitable chance arose to bring it out?

The young princess had traveled four thousand miles; how could she possibly return empty-handed? Young Master Su was still waiting for her to rescue him!

~~
Normally, the best opportunity would be to present this special gift when toasting the Empress Dowager after the birthday banquet has begun.

But the young princess waited and waited, and even though noon had passed, the birthday banquet still hadn't started...

The reason is simple: the current Emperor Zhengde has not yet arrived.

The emperor is the empress dowager's only son; how could the banquet begin without his presence?
"He must have gotten so engrossed in playing that he forgot about it again," said Madam Jin. "Go and urge the Emperor to hurry up."

"Yes." The eunuch from Renshou Palace hurried out, though he didn't know where to look either. He hadn't seen the Emperor for three months...

Another half hour passed.

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the long-awaited cry finally rang out outside Renshou Palace: "His Majesty has arrived!"

'Finally...' The hungry noblewomen breathed a sigh of relief. Hunger was one thing, but the Empress Dowager's gloomy face was really suffocating.

The imperial family members and noblewomen hurriedly rose to greet him, and then they saw the Ming Emperor Zhu Houzhao, dressed in a narrow-sleeved, waist-cinching brocade robe, with a purple-gold outer armor and a tiger-skin Tartar hat, striding into the hall with an air of indifference.

"I'm so sorry, I went hunting in the South Sea and came back late!" The eighteen-year-old Emperor Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao, was full of youthful vigor and spirit. His big eyes darted around, and a smile that seemed apologetic played on his lips.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm criticizing you," Lady Jin scolded her grandson, "Today is your mother's birthday, how could you go hunting?"

"Isn't this to prepare a special gift for the Empress Dowager?" Zhu Houzhao said casually.

"Don't give me that," Empress Zhang suppressed her displeasure and glared at him, saying, "Do you think I don't know you? What time is it? Hurry up and sit down and start the feast."

"Mother, I really didn't lie to you!" Zhu Houzhao grinned and approached the Empress Dowager. Suddenly, he reached into his robes and pulled out a fluffy, white thing, and laughed as if presenting a treasure: "Ta-da—Happy birthday, Mother!"

The young princess happened to be nearby and saw that it was a small fox that was pure white without a single blemish. Its fur was fluffy like a cloud, and its amber eyes were bright and lively. It was very charming and endearing.

"Oh, it's still alive!" The Empress Dowager recoiled in fright, frowning and waving her hands repeatedly, exclaiming in great alarm, "You scared me to death! Take it away, take it away!" "Mother, don't be afraid. This little white fox is so cute," Zhu Houzhao tried to promote his gift, saying, "Your subject went to great lengths to catch it."

"Your Majesty has gone to great lengths..." With so many people watching, the Empress Dowager, after being startled, could only reluctantly accept this bizarre gift.

Of course, I would absolutely not touch it...

Zhu Houzhao wasn't annoyed. He picked up the little white fox and teased it while laughing, "Let's begin the feast. I'm starving too."

"By imperial decree, the feast shall begin!" The eunuch announced, and the musicians played palace music as palace servants brought out hot dishes in a continuous stream.

"Come, let's all wish Her Majesty the Empress Dowager a long and healthy life!" Zhu Houzhao took the first cup of wine, and the Empress took the second. Then it was Princess Renhe's turn...

The birthday banquet gradually took on a festive atmosphere, but unexpectedly, after several rounds of drinks, Empress Dowager Zhang burst into tears.

"What's wrong with Mother?" Zhu Houzhao frowned upon seeing this and said, "If you really don't like this gift, I'll take it with me."

The hall fell silent instantly, even the music stopped.

Everyone stared at Empress Dowager Zhang, wondering what was wrong with her this time.

"No." Empress Dowager Zhang took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her eyes and shook her head. "I just suddenly remembered your father."

"Alas, I think of my father every day..." Zhu Houzhao's eyes dimmed noticeably, and he seemed lifeless.

"Your Majesty, do you know why your mother misses the late Emperor?" Lady Jin asked quietly from the side.

"Naturally, it reminded me of the past, when Father Emperor celebrated Mother Emperor's birthday," Zhu Houzhao sighed.

"Not only that, but because she was wronged, no one is there to support her!" said Madam Jin.

"Who would dare to let the Empress Dowager suffer?" Zhu Houzhao frowned.

"You are, of course!" Madam Jin exclaimed in a startling statement.

The young princess was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped. She never expected that someone would dare to speak to the emperor like that!
But Princess Renhe, standing to the side, seemed unfazed. Even when the late emperor was alive, this old hag was lawless, often embarrassing her elder brother. Now that the emperor was her grandson, she had become even more arrogant.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "My brother is really unlucky. What kind of family did he end up with?"

~~
"..." Zhu Houzhao was not as cowardly as his father, and he wanted to beat the old woman up on the spot.

But then he remembered that it was his mother's birthday, so he suppressed his anger and nodded reluctantly, saying, "Yes, I am late."

He then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Empress Dowager Zhang, stiffening his neck as he said, "Your Majesty, I was wrong."

"That's not it at all!" Madam Jin insisted, "Your mother is spreading rumors and slander by Zheng Wang, tarnishing the royal family's reputation! It's been so long, and the Emperor still hasn't dealt with him. What will the world think of your mother?!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent. All the noblewomen of the imperial family dared not breathe, their ears perked up with a mixture of fear and excitement, afraid of missing a single word.

The little princess is no exception...

The Zheng Wang seditious speech case involved the emperor's bloodline, which was a taboo subject. Who would dare to utter a single word in front of the emperor?

No one expected that Madam Jin would bring up this case at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet!

Zhu Houzhao's chest heaved, his face ashen, and he said coldly, "Grandma... today is the Empress Dowager's birthday, a joyous occasion. Why bring up that traitor and spoil the mood? We'll discuss this later."

"We'll discuss this later?!" Madam Jin persisted, raising her voice sharply.

Although Empress Dowager Zhang did not speak, she cried even harder.

Seeing this, Madam Jin launched into a frenzy of attacks:

"Your mother is worried about this day and night, unable to eat or sleep, yet you only think about spoiling the mood? He's slandering you, your mother, and your Zhu family! Why are you delaying? Could it be that you've also believed those nonsense rumors?!"

"Say less!" Zhengde finally lost his temper and slammed his hand on the table covered with yellow silk, causing a crash as cups and chopsticks fell to the ground!
"You old rascal, keep stirring up trouble! Keep stirring, keep stirring! You've turned my son and me against each other, you've made me disown your Zhang family, are you satisfied now?!" Zhengde's temper flared up, and he launched a tirade against Madam Jin without restraint.

Madam Jin had ruled the Forbidden City with impunity for twenty years; never before had she been insulted like this! And the one who insulted her was her own grandson! She was both angry and frightened, trembling all over, and collapsed to the ground, slapping her thigh and crying:

"I was only trying to help you two! The Emperor doesn't appreciate it and even wants to destroy our Zhang family! Waaah... I can't live anymore!"

She pretended to run into the pillar, but her left and right hands quickly pulled her back.

"Let go of me! My own grandson doesn't even recognize me anymore, what's the point of me living?" Seeing someone holding her back, Madam Jin became even more unwilling to live.

"Let her go! Let her die, does she even have the guts?!" Zhengde scoffed disdainfully, crossing his legs as he spoke.

"You died in the accident, but I hereby bestow upon you the title of First-Class Heroic Lady!"

P.S. I'll continue writing the next chapter. I've been overtaken, so please vote with your monthly tickets, everyone!
(End of this chapter)