Huangming

Chapter 289 The Emperor's Net is Clawed, the Feudal King's Greed is Exposed

Beijing.

Forbidden City.

Deep within the sleeping quarters of the Qianqing Palace, it was nearly dawn.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Zhu Youxiao of the Ming Dynasty trembled slightly and finally slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the window, darkness still reigned, except for the dragon-carved palace lantern in the corner of the hall, which, through its silk gauze cover, cast a hazy, warm yellow glow, making the gold-brick floor shimmer.

He was about to sit up, propped up by the quilt, when he realized that there was something warm and heavy on his body.

Looking down, he saw two beauties curled up on the dragon bed, one on each side, their heads resting on Zhu Youxiao's arms. Their black hair was disheveled, and their skin glowed with a luminous sheen in the dim light. They were the Korean tribute women who had served him the previous night.

The two were clearly still asleep, breathing evenly, their long eyelashes like two small fans, occasionally fluttering slightly.

Zhu Youxiao then suddenly remembered the events of the previous night.

He originally planned to go to Kunning Palace. Empress Zhang Yan was always dignified and virtuous. Zhu Youxiao became addicted to training such a lady.

However, during this period, he stayed in Kunning Palace almost every night, which made Zhang Yan herself feel uneasy.

"His Majesty."

He still remembered that yesterday evening, Zhang Yan frowned and softly advised, "The royal offspring are of utmost importance. I have been favored by Your Majesty for many days. It is time for the other sisters to serve Your Majesty as well."

As she spoke, she declined the offer to serve His Majesty that night, citing that she had "caught a slight cold and was afraid of passing on her illness to His Majesty."

Unable to resist the Empress's insistence, he had no choice but to return to Qionghua Island to rest.

However, they had only just arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

Just then, Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, reported that the two tribute women presented by the Korean envoy last month had been thoroughly investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and were indeed loyal and obedient.

Thinking of the Empress's words, Zhu Youxiao issued an imperial edict summoning the two of them to the Qianqing Palace to serve him in bed.

but
Since ancient times, emperors have ruled the world, enjoying the company of beautiful women while waking up to wield power over all...

If even this little bit of pleasure has to be tied by oneself, then sitting on the dragon throne would be far too boring.

Since I was born to be an emperor, I should naturally try all the delicacies and beauties in the world to avoid wasting my life.

However, we still need to control it in the future.

Work and rest should be balanced; one should not become overly obsessed with women.

It would be ridiculous to die on a woman's belly.

Just then, the brocade quilt beneath her stirred slightly, accompanied by a barely audible rustling sound.

He turned his head and saw that the two Korean tribute women had been disturbed and were hurriedly getting up from the couch.

Perhaps due to the haste, their nightgowns slipped down, revealing their jade-like shoulders and backs. They didn't bother to cover themselves up, but instead knelt in front of the bed in a flustered manner. Their dark hair fell down, covering their blushing cheeks, and even their breathing was trembling with timidity.

"This servant has disturbed Your Majesty, please punish me!"

"No need to be so reserved."

Zhu Youxiao's voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up, but he had a smile on his face.

His gaze swept over the two women; though they were dressed in plain nightgowns, their beauty was undeniable.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her skin like solidified cream, and especially her eyes, which carried the gentleness unique to Korean women, were now lowered, her long eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.

“In North Korea, you are at least noble ladies of the royal family.”

He slowly sat up, the brocade quilt slipping off his shoulders to reveal his strong arms, the result of months of martial arts training.

"When you come to my bedchamber, even though you are serving me, you do not need to perform such a grand ceremony."

Despite this, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

The two tribute women were indeed exceptionally beautiful, no wonder the Korean envoy dared to present them as gifts.

If placed in the future, she would probably be even more dazzling than those so-called "celebrities".

He suddenly remembered the "Silla maids" recorded in historical books, who were so sought after in Chang'an back then.

I didn't understand the reason before, but after experiencing it myself last night, I realized that hidden within that gentle and respectful demeanor was an exotic charm that captivated men.

Unlike the reserved women of the Ming Dynasty, and without the deliberate flattery of the imperial concubines, their timid obedience was particularly arousing to men's desire to conquer.

"Raise your head." Zhu Youxiao's voice softened a bit.

The two tribute girls hesitated for a moment before slowly raising their heads. Their gazes still dared not meet his eyes, but instead fell on the brocade quilt in front of his knees. The blush on their cheeks was even more charming under the palace lanterns.

Zhu Youxiao's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he looked at them.

If it weren't for the third soft call from the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial outside the palace, he would have loved to throw off the brocade quilt and continue the fierce battle.

But the weight of the dragon throne ultimately outweighed the gentleness of the pillow.

He raised his hand to rub his temples, suppressing the fleeting thoughts, and called out, "Come in." The palace doors creaked open, and the palace maids waiting outside filed in, carrying gilded basins, ivory combs, and neatly folded dragon robes, their footsteps as light as cat paws.

The two tribute girls hurriedly lowered their heads and hid behind the screen, watching as the palace servants skillfully tied the emperor's hair, washed his face, and changed his clothes, instantly dispelling the previous enchanting atmosphere.

After changing his clothes, Zhu Youxiao did not linger in the main hall but went to the side hall.

As soon as the emperor arrived, the eunuchs from the Imperial Kitchen immediately placed breakfast on the imperial table in the side hall. It consisted of a bowl of bird's nest porridge, two dishes of pickles, and four steaming hot meat buns.

Zhu Youxiao finished his meal in a few bites. When he put down his jade chopsticks, Luo Sigong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was already waiting outside the East Warm Pavilion.

This was his unwavering rule: before holding meetings in the morning, he would always read the secret reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

From the side hall to the east warm pavilion.

Zhu Youxiao leaned back on the throne, his fingertips tracing the top secret report, the vermilion ink on the cover particularly striking in the sunlight.

"Shi Jixie has entered the capital?"

He raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice.

This Shi Jixie is from Jinjiang, Fujian.

Zhu Youxiao did know something about this person.

In the 46th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, due to the emperor's incompetence, many officials resigned and left the court, resulting in a paralyzed situation. At that time, there was only one Grand Secretary, four Ministers, four Vice Ministers, seven Censors, and ten Censors remaining in the capital.

Shi Jixie was known for his talent and integrity. He once served as acting minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Works, where he worked hard to eliminate the long-standing problem of embezzlement and theft of public funds. When he served as acting minister of the Censorate, he rigorously investigated and dealt with corruption. When he served as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he focused on teaching officials integrity during their evaluation. All of these actions, to varying degrees, inevitably aroused resentment among a number of officials who were demoted.

Therefore, when the court promotes Your Excellency, those who are jealous of you may fear that those who are less senior or will follow you will be eliminated first.

In the imperial examination of the 47th year of the Wanli reign (1618), Shi Jixie tried his best to protect Zhuang Jichang, the top scholar, from the rumors, but ended up offending a group of officials who criticized him.

The group made a huge fuss over the pretext of "cheating in the imperial examinations." Shi Jixie resigned from his post in a fit of anger, intending to return to his hometown of Jinjiang to retire. However, he received a report from the court as soon as he arrived in Zhejiang that the Wanli Emperor had passed away.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he again requested to retire, but Emperor Taichang rejected his request. Now, under repeated urging from the court, he finally dragged his ailing body to the capital.

"This old man is a tough nut to crack; he's a useful person."

Shi Jixie was from Fujian, and according to the factional divisions in the imperial court, he should be considered a member of the Chu faction.

This is exactly the person he wants.

The Donglin Party was deeply entrenched among civil servants. Although Fang Congzhe belonged to the Zhejiang Party, he was too old to maintain control. The cabinet should have long ago added some fresh blood who were capable and did not form cliques.

He recalled that when he last summoned the Minister of Personnel, he had specifically asked about Shi Jixie's recent situation. Upon learning that the old man was still lecturing in Jinjiang, he immediately ordered a fast horse to deliver the imperial edict: "I know that you are working hard, but the affairs of the country are difficult, and only you can share the burden. Come to the capital to assist in governing as soon as possible."

In retrospect, this decree was not issued in vain.

"Have the Ministry of Personnel draft a proposal."

"Have Shi Jixie join the Wenyuan Pavilion. Tell the cabinet to put him in charge of the allocation of grain and provisions in Liaodong in the future."

The eunuch bowed and agreed, and was about to leave when Zhu Youxiao stopped him again: "By the way, bestow upon him a jade ruyi that I once used, and tell him... that I hope he can protect some truly capable people who can fight and govern the people for the Ming Dynasty, just like he protected Zhuang Jichang back then."

Zhu Youxiao pulled his thoughts away from the flames of war in Liaodong and the personnel changes in the court, and his gaze fell on the handwriting on the second page of the secret report.

The second thing was intelligence from Tianjin.

"Six thousand soldiers from the Tianjin garrison have crossed the sea with Mao Wenlong and set up camp on Pi Island."

His fingertips paused, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Mao Wenlong, this chess piece, is finally about to be moved.

The secret report mentioned that "the sea was calm and the military discipline was good during the crossing," so it seemed unlikely that a shipwreck or loss of life would occur.

Zhao Shuaijiao and his men were elite troops he had specially selected from the Beijing garrison, equipped with newly made muskets and cannons, all to provide Mao Wenlong with good help.

“Hetu Ala…”

Zhu Youxiao murmured the name of the Jurchen's old lair, a cold smile curving his lips.

Historically, Mao Wenlong has always been adept at harassing enemy rear areas. Now, with the addition of these 6,000 fresh troops, he is likely to set Nurhaci's backyard ablaze.

The day of the surprise attack on Hetu Ala is not far off.

He continued flipping through the pages, and the third item was the allocation of grain funds for disaster relief in Shaanxi. Finally, the Ministry of Revenue stopped delaying.

The fourth item is a list of tribute items from the Jiangnan Textile Bureau, and the newly tribute Yun brocade from Suzhou Prefecture is indeed of the highest quality.

These national affairs, whether urgent or not, were of great concern to Zhu Youxiao. When he turned to the last page, his brows furrowed.

The secret report read:

“Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, and Prince Chu, Zhu Huakui, secretly conspired. Prince Chu entrusted Prince Fu with 1.5 million taels of silver to request His Majesty to bring a final verdict on the ‘false king’ case. Prince Fu embezzled 500,000 taels, sending only 1 million taels into the inner treasury, falsely claiming that Prince Chu’s ‘thank-you silver’ was 1 million taels.”

What a Zhu Changxun!
I asked you to make money for me, but you've pocketed it all yourself.

Who gave you the courage?

(End of this chapter)